Bareback Riding

Bareback riders endure more abuse, suffer more injuries and carry away more longterm damage than all other rodeo cowboys.

To stay aboard the horse, a bareback rider uses a rigging made of leather and constructed to meet PRCA safety specifications. The rigging, which resembles a suitcase handle on a strap, is placed atop the horse’s withers and secured with a cinch.

Bareback riding has been compared to riding a jackhammer with one hand. As the bronc and rider burst from the chute, the rider must have both spurs touching the horse’s shoulders until the horse’s feet hit the ground after the initial move from the chute. This is called “marking out.” If the cowboy fails to do this, he is disqualified.

As the bronc bucks, the rider pulls his knees up, rolling his spurs up the horse’s shoulders. As the horse descends, the cowboy straightens his legs, returning his spurs over the point of the horse’s shoulders in anticipation of the next jump. Making a qualified ride and earning a money winning score requires more than just strength. A bareback rider is judged on his spurring technique, the degree to which his toes remain turned out while he is spurring and his willingness to take whatever might come during his ride.

It’s a tough way to make a living, all right. But, according to bareback riders, it’s the cowboy way.

PHOTO BY MILLER PHOTO

2020 WORLD’S OLDEST RODEO® BUCKLE WINNER Tanner Aus & Ty Breuer

2020 World Champions Kaycee Feild

2020 world standings place: 1st 2020 Wrangler NFR standings place: 2nd 2020 NFR earnings: $182,756 2020 earnings: $277,648 Wrangler NFR average titles: 4 (2011-14) World Titles Won: 5 (2011-14, 2020) Wrangler NFR Qualifications: 11(2008-15, 2018-20)